We asked Cathal to tell us about winning I’m an Engineer, and here is what he said…

I want to say thank you to every person who emailed, organised and arranged everything for this event. Without their hard work, time and dedication none of this event would have been possible and I certainly wouldn’t be writing this now.

To every teacher who got their class online and organised them for the chats, thank you, sincerely, for all the work you do with young people. I only had brief interactions with these amazing students whereas you have them every day, I hope they’re as enthusiastic in the classroom as they were in the chats.

To the other engineers, Roisin, Karen, Dave and Bobs, I didn’t get to interact with you all nearly enough but when I did I always thought you had way better answers than me! I hope all your projects are successful and that you keep reaching out to interact with the next generation of engineers! Being part of a community in the zone was brilliant and an excellent way to meet new folks.

To the students who posed an endless supply of fascinating questions, thank you for all of them, I know we didn’t answer them all but we sure tried! Your curiosity about engineering was infectious and I find myself more interested in my work than I have been in a long time, so thank you! Stay curious, keep asking questions, and if you’re not happy with the answers, maybe you should run an experiment to find out!

I am inspired and humbled after the experience I had taking part in “I’m an Engineer, get me out of here!”. When I signed up I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into, but I would recommend it for any engineer who wants to spread a little joy and interest in the world of engineering. I’m going to use the prize to put together a workshop on the joy of making things, and what we learn from it. My aim is to give you guys a chance to make some cool stuff solving problems you come across in your lives. Ask your teachers to get in contact with me about bringing it to your school.

Finally a thought to keep in mind when engineering: “Failure is always an option!”(Adam Savage, Mythbusters). So long as you learn from failure, then it’s not really a failure now, is it?